The NeverEnding Story (song)
}} }} "The NeverEnding Story" is the title song from the English version of the 1984 film The NeverEnding Story. It was produced by Italian musician Giorgio Moroder and performed by Limahl. Limahl released two versions of the song, one in English and one in French. The English version featured vocals by Beth Anderson, and the French version titled "L'Histoire Sans Fin" featured vocals by Ann Calvert. It was a success in many countries, reaching No. 1 in Norway and Sweden, No. 2 in Austria, Germany and Italy, No. 4 in the UK, No. 2 in Australia and No. 1 in the US Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. Original version Background and writing The song was composed by Giorgio Moroder with lyrics by Keith Forsey, although it (and other electronic pop elements of the soundtrack) is not present in the German version of the film, which features Klaus Doldinger's score exclusively. Beth Anderson recorded her lyrics in America separately from Limahl's. (dead) Anderson does not appear in the music video; frequent Limahl backup singer Mandy Newton lip syncs Anderson's lyrics. As a reference to the film and its title, the song has no distinctive beginning, nor an end. While many songs fade out, "The NeverEnding Story" not only fades out, but also fades in, thus making it "never ending". Personnel *Limahl – vocals *Beth Anderson – background vocals *Dee Harris – guitar *Giorgio Moroder – synthesizer *Keith Forsey – drums, percussion Cover versions *For The NeverEnding Story II: The Next Chapter, the song was performed by Joe Milner, heard during the closing credits. *J-pop group E-Girls covered a Japanese version of the song in 2013. It debuted in the second place of the Oricon weekly singles chart, selling 40,055 copies. *American pop punk group New Found Glory covered the song on their 2000 EP From the Screen to Your Stereo. *German eurodance group Scooter thirteenth studio album Jumping All Over the World samples the theme song from the American version of the film. *Canadian industrial band The Birthday Massacre covered the song for their 2004 album Violet. The track was omitted from the final release, but became audible via online leaks. *Swedish melodic power metal band Dragonland covered the song and included it as a bonus track for the Japanese version of their album Holy War. *Norwegian synth-pop act Echo Image covered the song as a b-side on their 2001 single "Skulk". Legacy In the final episode of the third season of Stranger Things, set in 1985, "The NeverEnding Story" is sung by Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) and his long-distance girlfriend Suzie (Gabriella Pizzolo) as a way to reconnect after not seeing each other for some time. Following the season's release on July 4, 2019, interest in "The NeverEnding Story" surged; viewership of the original music video had increased by 800% within a few days according to YouTube, while Spotify reported an 825% increase in stream requests for the song. Limahl expressed gratitude for Netflix for this; while he had not watched the series, he was told of the song's inclusion by his nephews and watched clips of the duet. Limahl had previously found a similar increase in his past work when Netflix used his band Kajagoogoo's song "Too Shy" in Black Mirror: Bandersnatch. Track listings ; 7" single #"The NeverEnding Story" #"Ivory Tower" by Giorgio Moroder ; 7" single # "The NeverEnding Story" (club mix) – 6:09 # "The NeverEnding Story" (instrumental version) – 5:28 ; 12" maxi # "The NeverEnding Story" (12" mix) – 5:17 # "The NeverEnding Story" (7" mix) – 3:30 # "Ivory Tower" (12" mix) (instrumental) by Giorgio Moroder – 5:54 ; iTunes single # "The NeverEnding Story" (12" mix) – 5:20 # "The NeverEnding Story" (Giorgio 7" mix) – 3:31 # "The NeverEnding Story" (Rusty 7" mix) – 3:54 # "The NeverEnding Story" (12" dance mix) – 6:08 # "The NeverEnding Story" (12" dub mix) – 5:27 # "Ivory Tower" by Giorgio Moroder – 3:08 # "Ivory Tower" (12" mix) by Giorgio Moroder – 5:55 Official mixes * "The NeverEnding Story" (7" Mix) – 3:28 * "The NeverEnding Story" (12" Mix) – 5:17 * "The NeverEnding Story" (Club Mix) – 6:09 * "The NeverEnding Story" (Instrumental Version) – 5:28 Certifications Charts 1 "The NeverEnding Story"/"L'Histoire Sans Fin" References Category:1984 singles Category:Limahl songs Category:Number-one singles in Norway Category:Number-one singles in Sweden Category:Oricon International Singles Chart number-one singles Category:Songs written by Giorgio Moroder Category:Songs written by Keith Forsey Category:Song recordings produced by Giorgio Moroder Category:1984 songs Category:Works based on The Neverending Story Category:E-girls songs